BITTER PIT

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7023, 11 January 1910, Page 3

BITTER PIT

THE MENACE TO THE! APPLE INDUSTRY. It is authoritatively declared that bitter-pit is constituting a grayo men«P to tho apple trade of Australasia, aS tkt it Si probably be a. serioii. drawback to the industry in this try The continued failure of the brats and Federal authorities of the Commonwealth to take any steps towards discovering the cause and ascertaining - remedy i£ therefore a matter for very great regret. ' Fruitgrowers are powerless against 'a trouble shrouded in mystery, and the Minister for Agriculture in Victoria is being severely criticised for not doing anything to carry out the recommendations of 'a conference held' some time since in Melbourne, which emphasised the need of research work being undertaken, to locate the, origin of bitter-pit. At the time Mr T. W. Kirk was in Australia, a statement appeared in a Commonwealth exchange to the effect that the New Zealand authority had recommended that the States should combine, and detail a man, to give his whole time to investigation! of the trouble, the biologists of the different States to keep the special investigator in touch rath any developments in their respective States. Bitter-pit was the cause of serious loss to Australian apple-growers last season, and another season has come without any step being taken to unravel the bitter-pit mystery. Some of the New Zealand apples put into cool storuge in Auckland last year developed bittar-pit. It is to bo hoped the apples being shipped Home by Nilson growers this season will be free of this disastrous trouble.